2017 is shaping up to be another banner year for open streets lovers in Southern California! Free, fun, and family-friendly, these events are great opportunities to explore the wonderful diversity of Los Angeles County in a healthy and active fashion. We've compiled a list of 7 upcoming ciclovias, big and small, worth checking out, so grab your calendar and save-the-dates! Also, be sure to stay tuned for additional ciclovias as summer and fall dates are released later in the year,

1) 626 Golden Streets | Sun March 5

South Pasadena, San Marino, Arcadia, Monrovia, Duarte, Irwindale, Azusa (9am-3pm) - 18 miles of open streets connecting 8 SGV communities and 6 Gold Line Stations. Over two years in the making, the first time event is back after being cancelled last minute due to wildfires above the cities of Duarte and Azusa. ​The 2017 edition will feature live music, chalk artists, free yoga and zumba classes, a friendly sasquatch, a Los Angeles Rams Fan Fest and Cyclofest (Irwindale), and of course miles of open streets. See the full list of activities here.

Culver City, Venice (9am-4pm) - The popular Culver City-Venice cicLAvia edition will be staged again Sunday March 26th, offering participants from across SoCal the opportunity to walk, run and roll 6 miles to Venice beach from Culver City. Served directly by Metro's Expo Line, event attendees will also be able to ride north on the beach path to Santa Monica and loop back to the start via the Expo Line Bike Path or take the train. More info here.

Long Beach (11;30am-1pm) - Take a half-day at work and experience the Long Beach Grand Prix Race Track on two feet or two wheels. The annual event opens up the 1.5 mile Indy Race Series circuit course to the public. More info here.

Carpinteria (9am-5pm) - A great excuse to hop on the Amtrak Surfliner and spend a day (or two) in Santa Barbara County, Carpinteria Open Streets is a first-time event being held in lieu of SB Open Streets this year. More info here.

Garden Grove (3-6pm; 6-10pm after party) - No joke, but the third edition of Garden Grove's popular open streets event is scheduled for Saturday April 1st, too! Explore 2.5 miles of car-free streets in Orange County. Don't have a bike? No worries, loaner bikes and pedicabs will be on hand. More info here.

Long Beach (11am-5pm) - The third edition of Long Beach's annual event will traverse a new route in April, connecting CSU Long Beach with adjacent neighborhoods and testing out a later start time, perhaps to better accommodate local students who enjoy sleeping in? More info here.

Glendale (9am-4pm) - LA's premier open streets promoter brings its show to the City of Glendale for the first time this June, with an original route exploring several neighborhoods. Event specifics have yet to be made public, but save-the-date and check back after cicLAvia Venice-Culver City here.

In addition to miles of open streets to explore, 626 Golden Streets event hubs will also offer a variety of dance, yoga, and zumba classes for participations to enjoy at no cost! These mini-classes are a great way to start your day and maybe try something new. No registration required, just show up at the scheduled time and place to participate.

We are EXCITED to announce that the following lineup of accomplished street painters will be joining us to bring color to Golden Streets on Sunday March 5th!

South Pasadena - Shuji Nishimura

San Marino - Valerie Michelle & Ale Tovar

Michillinda Park - Marcella Swett & Parker Graffam

Arcadia - Ronnie Johnson & team

Monrovia - Lori Antoinette & Howard Zin

Duarte - Gus Moran & family

Irwindale - Randall Williams & Stacy Nalapraya

Azusa - Draw-in with community artists

Art by Valerie Michelle, image courtesy of Pasadena Chalk Festival

Working in teams these wonderful artists will be developing large scale visuals that reflect the history of the places event participants will traverse by foot, bike, skate and rail. Many thanks to our friends at Light Bringer Project (organizer of the Pasadena Chalk Festival and Doo Dah Parade, among other things) for helping bring the arts into this historic event!

Stay tuned for additional information and updates on visual and performing arts on 626 day!

March 5th is coming up fast, and if you plan to bike the 626, now is a great time to make sure your wheels are running smoothly and you're ready to roll. Event organizer BikeSGV is hosting a series of free bicycling classes to help get you rolling, so be sure to take advantage of upcoming classes!

City Cycling ClassesWant to feel more comfortable riding on city streets? Or how to set up your bike to commute to work/school? Then our City Cycling class is for you!

BikeSGV's City Cycling course is broken into 3 parts to help you gain more confidence on your bike:

In-class presentation on the rules of the road while on a bicycle and useful equipment;

On-bike drills away from cars to improve bicycle handling and safety maneuvers; and

Do you know the basics to keep you bike rolling? Whether you are looking to get back on the bike for fitness, commuting, or just to be able to spend a nice weekend with family, this class is a great way to get your bike(s) back on the road. ​We'll teach you how to: perform an ABC Quick check,repair/replace a flat tire; adjust brakes; clean your bicycle; and acquire the tools needed to make simple repairs on the go.Click here for upcoming dates

Originally scheduled for 6/26/16, the historic 626 Golden Streets event had to be cancelled due to wildfires above the cities of Azusa, Duarte, and Irwindale only 72 hours before the big event.

The 7-city working group and project partners are very excited to report that after months of contingency planning and coordination a makeup date has been confirmed: Sunday March 5, 2017!

In addition to being a great way to start off 2017, March 5th just so happens to be the one-year anniversary of the Foothill Gold Line Extension grand opening!

Please save-the-new-date and stay tuned for updates here, as well as on the event Facebook page, InstagramandTwitter. Until then, we encourage you to walk, bike, roll and explore our beautiful region by Metro.

Due to active wildfires affecting air quality in the San Gabriel Valley region, public safety officials and city staff, who have been monitoring the situation closely, have officially moved to postpone the 626 Golden Streets event to a future date.

The participating cities of South Pasadena, Arcadia, Monrovia, Duarte, Azusa, San Marino, Irwindale, County of Los Angeles, Metro, Bike San Gabriel Valley and event organizers would like to inform the public at this time that the 18+ mile open streets event and all associated activities scheduled for June 26th 2016 will no longer be held this Sunday. The event is being postponed; a future date is not available at this time.

Event organizers would like to extend a heartfelt Thank You to all those who worked so hard to make 626 Golden Streets a reality on 6/26 Day, especially event sponsors: Metro Los Angeles, MSRC, SoCalGas, Kaiser Permanente, KPCC, the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority and many others. We would also like to thank the dozens of city staff, safety officials, artists, vendors and others who have invested time and energy into creating a truly special event for the San Gabriel Valley. We thank you for your commitment and continued support!

​626 Golden Streets will be back. Until then, we encourage you to walk, bike, and explore our beautiful region by Metro. And stay tuned for updates at: www.626goldenstreets.com and @bikeSGV.

Join members from Congress, State Senate, the California State Assembly, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, and city elected officials in celebrating this historic open streets event in our region, and largest EVER in California!

Cities of 626 Golden Streets:Mayor of the San Gabriel Mountains, Gabe the SasquatchMayor Pro Tem Alexander Blackburn, City of MonroviaMayor Samuel Kang, City of DuarteMayor Mark A. Breceda, City of IrwindaleMayor Joseph Rocha, City of AzusaMayor Tom Beck, City of ArcadiaCouncilmember Ara Najarian, City of Glendale, Metro BoardCouncilmember John Fasana, City of Duarte, Metro BoardSenator Carol Liu, Special Recognition presented by staffCongresswoman Grace Napolitano, Recognition Presented by StaffMayor Pro Tem Michael Cacciotti, City of South Pasadena, SCAQMD Board​​

Volunteers are essential to pull off this historic 8-community event! Come be a part of the team to get a special commemorative TAP card, an exclusive volunteer T-shirt, and a volunteer appreciation raffle that includes folding bicycles, skateboards, bike gear and more!

To volunteer, click on a link below to RSVP for an orientation where you can sign up for a shift, a location and an assignment. Orientations are taking place on evenings and weekends in El Monte and Pasadena.